Lots of support for Education workers at Thunder Bay’s local PC MPP office.
MPP Kevin Holland’s office on James Street is close to 100 people picketing outside in protest of the province passing Bill 28, legislating that any strike action is illegal and forcing a four-year contract onto the 55,000 CUPE workers in education.
Devin Klassen is with CUPE local 2486 which represents custodial and maintenance staff. He says having the right to bargaining stripped away is unacceptable.
“We’ve had bills legislated upon us for the past 10 years, Bill 115, Bill 124, and now most recently Bill 28, and workers are fed up with it.”
Acadia News spotted flags and support badges from various unions represented in the city including; Unifor, OSSTF, Injured Workers Support Group, Catholic Teachers Association, Elementary Teachers Federation and SEIU healthcare. Alyssa McGee says seeing other unions coming out to support them shows this goes beyond CUPE’s negotiations.
“This isn’t even really about CUPE members anymore, its collective bargaining as a whole, about the government taking away our rights to strike.”
Ontario’s Education Minister has already responded to the strike today.
Stephen Lecce says immediately after the Keeping Students in Class Act was passed last night, the Ontario government filed a submission to the Labor Relations Board about what he calls the illegal strike action.
He says “nothing matters more right now than getting students back in the classroom, and the government will use every tool available to them”.
This is a developing story, more information will be added when it’s available.
—With files from Adam Riley
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